No easy life in the barracks

January 19, 2013 : Ademola Olonilua

There are two sides to life in the barracks, writes ADEMOLA OLONILUA

One of the objectives that most Nigerians, especially the residents of bustling and crowded cities like Lagos, want the country’s leadership to accomplish in 2013 is the provision of adequate security. Given the choice, everyone would like to live in a place that is relatively free of violence and crime, a peaceful place. Yet only those who live within or very close to military, police or paramilitary formations appear to fulfill this dream.

As with every other human community, life in the barracks is not without its good and bad sides. From a civilian’s point of view, it seems a nice idea to live in a place where virtually every resident is his brother’s keeper. There is mutual trust, perhaps due to the common thread that binds the residents.

But there are rules, a common feature of regimented life, which the residents are required to obey without hesitation. There are restrictions, too.

A civilian long used to living in a clean and well-ordered environment may find some barracks a little too dirty and unkempt for his liking. He may find his neighbours too complacent in matters of sanitation and too noisy for his taste.

SATURDAY PEOPLE discovered that most people living in the barracks scarcely feel obliged to initiate or participate in clean-up exercises around the neighbourhood except ordered by the commandant.

A recent visit to the Ijeh Police Barracks in Obalende, Lagos seems to confirm this. The barracks itself is a study in poor hygiene. One glance at the place and you would think that you had strayed into a slum. There is filth everywhere, from the entrance to the farthest point in the barracks.

The roads are not tarred and they are riddled at every turn with bumps and yawning craters. Clothes are left to hang on window sills, railings and on lines hoisted across balconies. The sight of waste dumps and abandoned vehicles, as well as the nauseating odour emanating from several gutters overflowing with stagnant water leaves a sordid picture of disorder.

The entire barracks cuts such a disturbing picture that one wonders if it is really inhabited by uniformed men and their families.

It is puzzling how the residents manage to live with the filth and putrid smell without as much as lifting a finger to clean up the place. During a visit to the police barracks on Sunday, half-nude children were seen playing in the streets oblivious of the filth around them.

Like most barracks across the country Ijeh Barracks has its fair share of problems. In most cases, these problems arise from inadequate accommodation. A resident, Mrs. Abigail Yunana, who has lived with her husband in the barracks for more than a decade testifies to this.

“The fact that we live in a one-bedroom apartment is a serious problem in itself. It is too small for a family. Apart from this, there are frequent power outages, Sometimes, the heat is intolerable,” she says.

Despite the limitations, Yunana says her family pays a monthly rent of N3,000 for the one room that they occupy. It is proof that accommodation is not free, even in the barracks.

“They tell us that this is a barracks, but we pay money for living in this place every month. In spite of this, if anything happens to the house, we are the one to fix it. It is not supposed to be like that,” she says.

Also, the housewife laments the scarcity of potable water, which has made living in the barracks an ordeal. “We do not have a borehole. There is no water. We pay for water. As a housewife, the lack of water is a serious problem because I need it to wash and cook for my family.

“The money that I am supposed to use to buy fish or meat in order to make my soup richer, I spend on water. I spend about N300 a day on water,” she adds.

Although the barracks is inhabited by law enforcement agents, security poses a serious challenge, especially at night. Some nights, thieves sneak into the place and steal properties belonging to the residents.

Another resident, who declined to be named, said, “The problem is that the place is too open and the roads are bad. We are not secure. At night when we are asleep, street urchins come to steal from us. Almost everyday they steal from us. If they steal someone’s motorcycle today, tomorrow it will be another item. If you forget anything outside your home overnight, you won’t find it the next day,” Yunana says.

At the Alausa Police Barracks in Ikeja, a slightly different scenario prevails. For example, traders at the Police Officers Wives’ Association Market, which is located in the barracks, take turns to clean up the place.

At a glance, there is evidence of a conscious effort on the part of the residents of the barracks to keep their environment reasonably clean. Still, their effort is not enough to rid the barracks of rubbish dumps and clumps of bushes.

The atmosphere was serene and peaceful. The barracks contains blocks of residential apartments numbered A-F and arranged in a U shape. The new Officers’ Block stands out like a sore thumb, neglected and abandoned though some people live in it.

The back of Block F cuts a very ugly picture. It is, perhaps, the dirtiest part of the barracks. Ironically, a fence demarcates it from the mammy market and an overflowing septic tank posts an unpleasant odour in the air.

At about 3 pm on Saturday, a truck belonging to the Lagos State Waste Management Agency arrived in the barracks to dispose of the contents of waste bins.

However, life in the barracks is far from rosy. A resident, who simply gave his name as Peter Rock, describes it as very drab, particularly for the youths who have no access to recreational facilities.

“I learnt that there are recreational facilities in some barracks, but there is nothing like that here. We ought to have a basketball court, a standard football field and gymnasium here. It will help us to keep off boredom,” he said.

Other challenges similar to the ones encountered in Obalende exist in the barracks. But potable water is available.

“There is water here. There are two bore holes. One of them was constructed by the Ikeja Local Government and the other by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Both are functioning,” Rock says.

Most people come to the barracks to have fun because it is safe and their destination is usually the mammy market.

Rock says smoking of Indian hemp or skunk is forbidden in the barracks, though the sale of alcoholic beverages thrives in the market.

“You are not even allowed to smoke cigarettes and drink in the barracks. These things can only take place at the mammy market. If you are caught smoking hemp in the barracks, you will be severely punished.

“Also, there are no short rest guest houses here. If you meet a lady you like, you walk up to her and talk to her. If she likes you, good; if she doesn’t, you go your way. We don’t condone immorality here.

If you want to come and drink and have your fun you are welcome. This is the place. There are many beer parlours here because of the nature of police work.

“Some policemen like to ginger themselves before they move. Also, after the day’s work, they use it to relax. After the day’s hustle, they need to come home and take a chilled bottle of beer, but because of PHCN, the beer is never cold,” he said.

Rock concluded that though the police barracks is a decent one, it is not being appreciated.

On the other hand, life in Bonny Camp Army Barracks assumes a different and orderly dimension. It is obvious that the barracks authorities pay close attention to hygiene.

A resident of the barracks and a soldier in the Nigerian Army says, on condition of anonymity, that the Army is in charge of cleaning the barracks. Everywhere in the barracks is tarred and squeaky clean.

The source says, “Normally, the army is in charge of cleaning the barracks. Our waste is always being evacuated by LAWMA. The general cleaning of the barracks is done by the soldiers and their family. In Lagos State, every Thursday we clean our surroundings. We do observe that, apart from that, there is what we call fatigue days; we clean three times in a week, Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursdays. We do ours in the morning while the women do the sweeping in the evenings.

“The Barracks Maintenance Team goes round to inspect the place. If they discover that a block is dirty, they penalised the residents. They could cut the power supply to the block as punishment. That makes the people to ensure that their surroundings are not dirty. Generally, we maintain a clean environment and failure to do so attracts punishment.

“Some people still spread their clothes on the railings. You cannot rule this out in a community like this. But we have lines for drying clothes in the sun after washing them.

He also says that a major source of worry is generators. The din from several generators is quite unnerving, he adds.

“Also, when you see places where people use generators, they just put them anywhere and it disturbs. Here, it is mandatory that your generator has to be far away from the living area. So you have to run a wire, no matter how much it costs, into your apartment. For example, I had to buy a roll of wire. At our backyard, you have to make cages for your generator. Generally, we try to keep the barracks neat and tidy,” he says.

Unlike most parts of the state where power outages are common, Bonny Camp enjoys constant power supply. If anything is likely interrupts the power supply in the barracks, the residents are informed and necessary action is taken.

“They power supply is okay. They are trying. When we do not have light from PHCN, efforts are made to know the reason for the outage. We do enjoy 24 hours power supply, occasionally, it could go out for about 20 minutes then it is back. Sometimes when it goes off, it comes back up almost instantly or about five minutes later. When there is fault, they tell us that it could take hours or days before it comes back up.

“We have engineers that liaise with PHCN officials to find out if it is a problem that will take a long time to solve. Atimes we would mobilise them to fix the light. They make excuses, but we try to encourage them so that they speed up the repairs,” he added.

Although the barracks is beside the sea, the residents suffer lack of portable water. They hardly have borehole water and are forced to buy water for their daily use and consumption.

“We buy water from the water sellers. We buy 20 litres for N40. The water supply here is not steady. It is really a problem. They sank some bore holes but it is a major problem. It comes sometimes, like on Saturday morning, but sometimes when it comes out, it is not clean. It is not drinkable. If you want to get portable, drinkable water, you would have to buy. The water that is coming out of the bore hole is for domestic use.

“We sink wells here; from there we draw water. For almost a month now we have not had water from there. They say it is because it is harmathan season; the water level is not helping at all. Those that have vehicles drive down to the Navy dockyard to fetch water. Over the years, that has been the source of water, not just for us but people that live as far as Victoria Island.

“Two years ago, water was supplied to neighboring communities through the Institute of Oceanography. They have been of help to us. Even when we do not have and you can not afford to buy, because those men that sell water come in everyday, morning, afternoon and night time, we get from the navy dockyard. We also buy sachet water to augment what we have,” the source adds.

Bonny Camp is set in a quiet and cosy environment. The barracks is well constructed with its blocks from 1to 30 neatly arranged in rows. However, beside block 30 there is are makeshift apartments that somewhat distort the perfect landscape.

The soldier says, “The makeshift blocks have been there for a long time. They were supposed to serve as stores houses, but because of the accommodation problem some people had to live there. Also, the families of soldiers killed in action are allowed to stay there. Some discharged soldiers who have not been paid their gratuities and were tactfully eased them out are allowed to stay there temporarily. A block is usually a two-storey building. Each floor has 12 flats, making it 36 apartments in a block. A flat has a room, parlour, toilet and kitchen. It is like this from Block One to Block 30. Each of them 36 flats self contain.”

He says that the accommodation problem is a Federal Government’s issue now, though that the Army frowns at squatting. “The army has been building in places like Abuja. In a place like Lagos there is no space. The army personnel are increasing. We recruit about five thousand people a year but the accommodation is not being expanded. No new barracks and that is why we have acute shortage of accommodation. Squatting is not allowed, normally if a soldier is accommodated to a new unit, you have temporary accommodation in the mess. We are always our brother’s keeper, if you have a colleague who is single and having a flat, your friend can stay with you till he gets accommodation elsewhere,” he says.

Contrary to popular belief that members of the military spend a lot of money on alcoholic beverages, some soldiers in Bonny Camp hardly drink at all. Besides, it is a punishable offence to drink alcohol while on duty.

“The sale of alcoholic drinks is forbidden around the residential areas. You can only find them at the Mammy market, which is a free zone. It is usually separated from the barracks so that we do not influence our children negatively.

“Uniformed men do not spend their money on alcohol. It is just the mindset of the average Nigerian. It depends on a person’s lifestyle. It is a personal thing. There are soldiers who do not drink. In the army, if you are not sane, you will not be able to meet up with the challenges of the job.

“You have to have a clear head at every time. There is also punishment if you are found to be drunk. It is a serious offense in the army. For instance, if you come to work oozing alcohol, you will be charged for that. But at the end of work and you do not have anything doing and you want to relax, as a lifestyle you can drink. That is why we have officers mess and soldiers club. That is where you go to and within that area you can drink and they control you. If you commit any offence of that nature during official hours or when you are on duty, you are drunk, you would be charged and can even be dismissed” the source said.

He says that life in the barracks is one of restriction. Right from the gate a visitor is subjected to a search. There is no privacy as there are periodical checks even at odd hours.

“When you are coming into the barracks, you are searched. Most times you cannot bring your relative as they would not stay with ease. They conduct periodical checks here even at odd hours so that you do not keep people of questionable character in the barracks. If I have a visitor, I must register the length of time that he will stay with me. So when they come for such check, the block is aware.

“We have leaders in each block that enforces discipline. We have the Magajia women that control the women. They are the wives of the soldiers, a kind of local police that control the women and their behaviour. If they have issues these women sort it out for them. They also report to the headquarters, battalion and unit.

“Even when ceremonies like naming and weddings are hosted, it must be done without noise and there is a limit to the duration of the party. There are no overnight parties. There is a team of army personnel that patrols at night and ensure that nothing of that nature occurs,” he says.

In comparison, the Customs Barracks in Okokomaiko looks clean and secure. The mini barracks houses both the senior and junior officers. It contains about 13 blocks each for the staff. Each block is a storey building and the environment is clean, serene, with a good drainage system.

There is no problem with potable water as some children were seen wetting flowers. It appeared that they dumped their refuse behind the last block at the juniors officers section, even at that, the place looked well kept.

When Saturday Punch approached an officer asking about the living condition in barracks, he asked for identification. On seeing one, he said, “if you want information, go to the headquarters or the command. Please leave the barracks.”

When contacted on the telephone, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said that the police barracks was like any other living quarters. She said it consists of both clean and dirty people.

She stated that most police barracks are undergoing renovation which could be a reason for the dirt.

“The barracks is just like any other place; some people are clean and some are dirty. There are equally clean barracks; there are a lot of neat barracks. Renovation and refurbishment are going on. Some of the buildings are old and have to be renovated. When renovation is ongoing in a place it could make the place dirty,” Braide said.

THIS REPORTER SHOULD HAVE UNDERTAKEN A GUIDED TOUR OF ANY NIGERIAN AIR FORCE BARRACK TO SEE WONDERS WITH RESPECT TO HOW A MILITARY BARRACK SHOULD LOOK LIKE……

afowowe chris

Let us put our barracks in order.

Festus A

It is only the Police barracks that are really dirty.Other members of the security forces are better. Police;s level of indiscipline coupled with corruption made their barracks an eye sore.

Discipline

It must be a criminal that can hate police as you do.

Ice

Take a tour of all the Airforce barrack nation wide and see how clean a barrack should be. All the building are being rehabilitated every now and there. What The Army and police dong with their allocation. So proud to have serve in the Airforce. Airforce experience.

Tolofari Omiepriye A

Police barracks are always dirty as the mind of a police man.no wonder they arrest innocent citizens in the society.they cant even take care of their environment.what a shame to the police.Tolofari Omiepriye,Caleb university imota,Lagos

Discipline

Criminals are born to hate the police at all time.

Discipline

Criminals are born to hate the police at all times.

JJCee

discpline stop thisyour lost of focus,no one hate truth and clean police,the focus here is that the nigeria police are dirty and not excempted from their act of corruption, they corrupt force and creating more unhygenics environment in our societies. Do you like a dirty pig and dirty wolf then you must be good friend of criminality and like such police describe here, because, you are also a corrupt one under prentence of discipline. huh!

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